Sparrow's Song
by newyorklghts
Summary: Caitlin Sparrow lost almost everything she cared about, now her father has moved her back to her childhood home of Lima where a changed friend waits. She's caught between 3 glee clubs, 3 boys. Can she find her song or will someone else have to help her?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: this is my first Glee story, I've been working on it for awhile and finally decided to start posting it on here. The song in this chapter is called Runaway With Me. I've included a link to it at the bottom of the page, it's normally sung by a guy but I love the song and have actually performed it myself so I thought it worked.**

Caitlin sat silently in the front seat of her dad's car. She stared up at McKinley High School doubtfully. Her dad though moving back would make things better. So far it hadn't. Caitlin grasped her bag nervously as the car rolled to a stop.

"You ok," her dad asked.

"Fine," Caitlin said tensely before climbing out of the car. Her dad said something else but she didn't hear it.

Caitlin quickly walked toward the building and through the doors. She'd already gotten her schedule and a tour on Friday. Caitlin headed straight to her locker and fumbled with the lock. Pulling it open she quickly stuck the books she didn't need yet in. Caitlin glanced around the crowded hallway self-consciously before shutting her locker.

She sighed as she headed to the counselor's office. They all seemed to think it would be a good idea for her to talk to someone about what had happened. Caitlin knocked on the door and waited for the counselor to look up from her work.

"You must be Caitlin. It's nice to meet you," Ms. Pillsbury said.

Caitlin smiled quickly before sitting down. "You too," she mumbled.

"So Caitlin, how are you doing today," Ms. Pillsbury asked.

"Fine," Caitlin replied.

Ms. Pillsbury blinked several times before studying the file in front of her. "You were involved in a lot of extra curriculars at Carmel," she said.

"Not really, just glee and theatre," Caitlin said evenly.

"I think it would be good for you to participate in them here too," Ms. Pillsbury suggested.

"I don't want to," Caitlin said firmly. She was done with those things, she didn't intend to go back to them.

"I'll make you a deal, if you audition for the glee club and participate then you'll only have to see me once a week," Ms Pillsbury said. "I'll even change your schedule to get you into a drama or chorus class. Your choice."

Caitlin considered her options and sighed. "Fine I'll audition," she said.

"And participate," Ms. Pillsbury reminded her.

"And I'll participate," Caitlin replied. "I'd rather take a 2nd English class though, instead of chorus or drama."

Ms. Pillsbury opened something on her computer and nodded. "There's space in the American Literature class," Ms. Pillsbury said. "That sound good?"

"That's fine," Caitlin said.

"Good you're all set," Ms. Pillsbury replied. She quickly wrote a note and handed it to Caitlin. "That's the room number for the American Literature class and the glee rehearsal room.

"Who do I need to talk to about auditioning," Caitlin asked. She might as well make Pillsbury think she intended to follow through on this deal.

"Mr. Schuester," Ms. Pillsbury said. "They are actually practicing right now, why don't we go see if you can audition?"

"Ok," Caitlin said unsurely.

Ms. Pillsbury stood up and led Caitlin from the room and down several hallways. "Here we are," she announced. She pushed the door open and ushered Caitlin inside.

"Will, this is Caitlin Carver, she just transferred here from Carmel High School," Ms. Pillsbury explained to a tall man with curly hair.

"Were you in vocal adrenaline," a brunette in a very short skirt asked.

Caitlin studied the girl for a moment, typical fine arts diva. "Yeah I was but I quit after… um after our sectionals preview show," Caitlin explained.

"Do you know what they are doing for regionals," a boy in a wheelchair demanded.

"No, I have no idea," Caitlin said quickly.

"Enough," Mr. Schuester said with a laugh. "Obviously if you were in Vocal Adrenaline you can sing, but I still need you to audition."

"Of course," Caitlin said eyeing the other students.

"What part do you sing," Mr. Schuester asked.

"Soprano technically mezzo-soprano," Caitlin explained.

"Good, do you want to audition now or would you rather do it this afternoon," Mr. Schuester asked.

"Now's good," Caitlin said. She set her books down and turned to the pianist. She hadn't sung since the accident. Everyone made their way to the chairs and sat down. Caitlin racked her brain for a song before sighing softly and glancing at the pianist again.

"Do you know 'Runaway with me' by Kerrigan and Lowdermilk," Caitlin asked.

The pianist smiled easily and shuffled through a stack of music on the bench. "This a good key for you," he asked passing her the music.

"Perfect," Caitlin replied before passing it back. She took a deep breath then nodded. The piano chimed out the intro and then Caitlin began to sing.

_Let me catch my breath_

_This is really hard_

_If I start to look like I'm sweating well_

_Its cause I am_

_I'm no good with words_

_But that's nothing new_

_Still I've got to try to explain what I'll do with you_

_With you_

_Runaway with me_

_Let me be your ride out of town_

_Let me be the place that you hide_

_We can make our lives on the go_

_Runaway with me_

_Texas in the summer is cool_

_We'll be on the road like Jack Kerouac_

_No looking back_

_Sam you're ready let's go_

_Anywhere_

_Get the car packed and throw me the keys_

_Runaway with me_

Mr. Schuester signaled for her to stop singing. He studied her for a moment before speaking. "That was great Caitlin, you've got the perfect sound for us," Mr. Schuester said. "You're in."

The rest of the group applauded loudly and Caitlin smiled a real smile for the first time in months. "Thanks," she said.

"Looks like Rachel and Quinn have some competition," one of the boys said.

"Competition is the soul of show business," the brunette in the skirt replied.

"I thought it was art," Caitlin said a challenge in her voice.

'Rachel Berry," the brunette replied. "You were very good."

"Thanks," Caitlin said. "The rest of you are?"

The group quickly listed off their names and waved or shook her hand. "You only have two guys," Caitlin asked.

"No the others are at football," Artie explained. "You'll meet them this afternoon."

"Except Puck," Kurt said. "He's suspended through Thursday."

"Which will make learning our new song difficult since he's singing the male lead," Rachel pointed out.

"Finn is going to fill in until Puck gets back," Mr. Schuester explained. "Caitlin I'd like you to sing the female lead."

Caitlin took the sheet music and glanced at the group. "Are you sure? I mean I just joined," Caitlin asked.

"Girl please you got pipes be proud and use them," Mercedes said.

"Seriously just do it," Quinn said impatiently.

"Ok," Caitlin said quickly.

**Here's the link to the song that the amazing and adorable Aaron Tveit sings: .com/watch?v=61EL69OZSlY**


	2. Chapter 2

**Quick explanation of the song here. C stands for Caitlin, F is for Finn, g is for girls, b is for boys, and a is for all. Pretty self explanatory but I wanted to mention it before things got crazy. Next chapter our favorite bad boy will be back and it won't be long before we see another familiar face or two! Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

The rest of the day was a blur. Several of the glee members were in classes with Caitlin and got to know her. Caitlin breezed into the choir room after school for glee rehearsal. Tina and Mercedes waved her over immediately.

"This is Mike and you met Artie this morning," Tina said pointing to the guys with them. "This is Caitlin Carver the girl I told you about."

"They say you can sing," Mike said.

Caitlin blushed and smiled. "Thanks," she said quickly. "I try to sing, Schuester let me in so if I suck take it up with him."

Mike laughed before turning to talk to Kurt. Mr. Schuester flew into the room and immediately motioned for silence.

"Ok did everyone meet Caitlin," Mr. Schuester asked. "Where's Finn?"

"Here sorry Mr. Schu," an extremely tall guy said as he rushed into the room.

"Finn this is Caitlin Carver," Mr. Schuester said. "Caitlin this is Finn you'll be singing together until Puck gets back."

"Nice to meet you," Finn said easily.

"You too, you are really tall," Caitlin replied.

"Yeah, um thanks," Finn said.

"So let's just jump right in," Mr. Schuester said. "Caitlin you and Finn go to the piano, everyone else get up we have to learn the choreography."

Caitlin grabbed her sheet music and joined Finn at the piano. The guitar sounded the first note and Caitlin quickly jumped in.

_You broke my heart_

_Cause I couldn't dance_

_You didn't even want me around_

_But now I'm back to let you know_

_I can really shake em down_

Caitlin waved the other girls and they all turned to Finn together

c- Do you love me

g- I can really move

c- Do you love me

b- I'm in the groove

c- Do you love me

a- Do you love me, now that I can dance

c- Watch me now

b- Work work

f- Ah work it out baby

b- Work work

f- Well you're drivin me crazy

b- Work work

f- Just a little bit of soul now

b- Work

c- I can mash potato

g- I can mash potato

c- I can do the twist

g- I can do the twist

c- Now tell me baby

g- Tell me baby

c- Do you like it like this

g- Do you like it like this

c- Tell me

g- Tell me

c- Tell me

Mr. Schuester broke up the group to teach everyone the choreography. Caitlin had to admit that Finn was not the best dancer. He was too tall his feet kept getting in the way.

Mr. Schuester pulled her aside at the end of practice as everyone was leaving. "I wanted to check in with you, make sure everything was ok," Mr. Schuester asked.

"Yeah it's good. Just one question though," Caitlin replied.

"Sure, what," Mr. Schu asked.

"Um, Finn's not the best dancer, does Puck dance better," Caitlin asked quietly.

Mr. Schuester laughed before answering. "Finn tends to over think and his feet get confused, but yeah Puck does dance better," Mr. Schuester explained.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

What most people didn't know was that Caitlin had lived in Lima before. From birth to the 4th grade actually. She'd been Caitlin Sparrow then though. Her mom had met Tim Carver and they got married, which meant moving. Tim had been born in Lima too, but now lived a couple of towns away. He'd adopted Caitlin and her brother Charlie shortly after the marriage.

Wednesday rolled around before Caitlin could prepare herself. Wednesday was the two month anniversary of the accident. It was the reason that they had moved back to Lima so suddenly. Caitlin knew that today was going to be hard.

Caitlin walked down the hallway to Ms. Pillsbury's office. She never wanted to talk about what had happened. She especially didn't want to talk about it today when it all came back. She slid the door open and sat down without a word. She stared at Ms. Pillsbury waiting for her to say something, to start analyzing her.

"Caitlin," Ms. Pillsbury started. She paused for a moment and studied Caitlin. "I know that today is going to be hard for you."

"You don't know anything about it, so just don't," Caitlin said in irritation.

"Caitlin you've been through something terrible, but you have to talk to someone about it," Ms. Pillsbury said.

"No I don't, besides there is nothing to say," Caitlin snapped.

"There are lots of things you could say Caitlin," Ms. Pillsbury pointed out. "You lost your mother and brother very suddenly. There has to be something you need to say."

Caitlin took a deep breath and willed herself not to cry. "Fine, I'll say something," Caitlin said trying to keep her voice even. "It's my fault."

With that Caitlin grabbed her things and walked out the door. Ms. Pillsbury called after her, but she didn't stop. Caitlin arrived at her locker barely holding back her tears. She knew she should have stayed home. She tossed her books in her locker, slammed it shut, then turned to walk down the hall.

Without warning someone tossed a pink slushie in her face. Caitlin sputtered as the hall burst into laughter. Her books slipped out of her now wet hands.

The tears she had desperately been holding back welled up and began to fall. At that moment a boy Caitlin thought she'd never see rounded the corner and met her gaze. If it weren't for her eyes, he wouldn't have known who she was. He hadn't seen her in years.

"Cait," he said under his breath. He pushed his way down the hall to her.

Caitlin watched him approach and was suddenly very nervous. He and Charlie were the same age, a year older than her. He'd always let her tag along though, she was like his little sister. He stopped in front of her and studied her.

Pink slushie had run down the front of her body making her white oxford see through. Her wavy red hair had slushie in it as well but it was her eyes he studied the longest. Those eyes, the color of green sea glass. That had always been his favorite thing about her.

"Noah," she said brokenly. Tears continued to slip down her face as she stared at him. He'd changed too. His hair was now in a Mohawk and he was incredibly attractive.

"Cait, what happened," Puck asked as he grabbed her books off the ground.

"Someone threw a slushie on me," she said softly. She glanced down her body and noticed the stains on her shirt. She and Puck both noticed how visible her bra was now. "They ruined Charlie's shirt."

Puck swallowed hard and willed himself to look her in the eye. "What are you doing here?"

"I live here now," Caitlin explained through her tears. She didn't know why she was still crying but she couldn't seem to stop.

"No, I mean today. What are you doing here today," Puck said lowly. Of course he knew what today was. He and his family had sent flowers to the funeral. His mom had brought them dinner.

Caitlin shifted her feet and ended up slipping in the slushie. Puck reacted quickly and caught her. He pulled her closer to himself, not caring if he got slushie on his jacket. Being that close to him was disorienting. Caitlin had ended up pressed against his chest. She blinked several times before pulling away from him.

"I don't know why I came," she whispered. "I couldn't be in my house, my dad's there. I couldn't stand it."

"Come on," Puck ordered grabbing her arm. He pulled her down the now empty hallway.

"Where are we going?"

"My house, no one is there," Puck replied.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The ride had been silent. Caitlin had stopped crying somewhere between the school and Puck's house. Puck unlocked the door and led Caitlin inside. They went straight upstairs to his room. Puck set her books down on the desk then began to dig around in his dresser. Puck produced a clean pair of shorts and a t-shirt. "Come with me," he said quickly.

Caitlin silently followed him to the bathroom. She sagged against the doorframe as Puck turned on the water and found her a towel. "Noah," she said softly.

Puck turned quickly, worried by the tone of her voice. "What's wrong Cait," he asked.

Caitlin stared at him trying to communicate what she was feeling, how hard everything had been. Just as she started to feel normal again, this, today, happened and it all fell apart.

"It's going to be ok Cait," Puck said reassuringly.

Without thinking, Caitlin moved closer to Noah and leaned against him. Puck wrapped his arms around her pulling her against him. With her head against his chest, Caitlin could hear the steady rhythm of his heart. She pulled back slightly to look up at him. "I just want to forget," she whispered, "but I don't think I can."

Her hands slid up Puck's chest to his shoulders. Puck's gaze flickered from her eyes to lips, then back again. "Cait," he said softly. One arm remained wrapped around her waist pulling her closer. The other ran up her back to the back of her neck. His hand gently cupped her face. His lips were on hers in a second. The kiss was soft, gentle, hesitant, all the things that Puck wasn't. In that moment though he knew that it was what she wanted, what she needed.

Puck pulled back and released Caitlin. "You should take a shower," he said before walking out of the bathroom.

Puck's phone buzzed loudly in his pocket. He yanked it out and quickly read the text. He typed out a reply telling Kurt that he would be back in time for the guys' rehearsal, before turning the phone off. He had more important things to worry about. Like the kiss. It had been an impulse, something Puck would do. Noah, the version of him that Caitlin knew, didn't take advantage of vulnerable girls like that.

If he were honest with himself though, it meant more than that. Caitlin needed him, it didn't hurt that the gangly little girl had grown into a beautiful girl. Puck heard the shower turn off and he briefly wondered what she looked like naked. Puck smirked then shook his head in shock. He couldn't think about her like this. She's Caitlin, the little girl from next door. The bathroom door opened and all resistance vanished once again. Puck couldn't deny it he wanted her, Noah did too.

"You hungry," Puck asked quickly, ignoring the fact that her bra was in the pile of clothes she carefully placed on his floor.

"Not really," she said as she folded up her jeans.

"Me either."

"I thought teenage boys were always hungry," Caitlin teased.

"You have no idea," Puck said carefully.

Caitlin gave him a confused look before standing up and looking around his room. "I remember this," she said happily. She picked up the picture frame on his dresser. The picture was of Puck, Caitlin, and Charlie in front of a tent in his backyard.

"You were terrified and had to sleep in my sleeping bag with me," Puck said coming to stand next to her.

"Charlie threatened to beat you up when he woke up and saw us," Caitlin said. She laughed softly and put the frame back. "You've changed."

"What do you mean," Puck asked.

"No one calls you Noah, you're Puck now," Caitlin said. "You've got quite the reputation."

"Caitlin," Puck started to say. He had to explain it to her.

Caitlin turned and met his gaze. "It's ok, you grew up. We both did. I was just surprised by the stories I guess," she explained.

"Stories?"

"About the cougars, the girls, fights, pranks, juvy, I think Kurt described it as your bad ass-ness," she replied.

Puck ran a hand over his mohawk and sighed, "My dad left and I don't know… I changed. People started calling me Puck and it's like I'm two people. There's Puck and there's Noah."

"So which one are you really?"

"I hope I'm Noah," he replied.

"So what does Noah think about me," Caitlin asked curiously.

"He's glad you're back but worried about you," he replied.

"And what does Puck think?"

Puck raised his eyebrows and gave her the patented Puck look. "The truth?"

"I don't want you to lie," Caitlin said.

"Fine, but you won't like it," Puck said easily. "Puck wants to push you down on the bed and get it on."

Caitlin snorted and shook her head at him. "You are such a guy," she said.

"You told me not to lie," he pointed out.

"I didn't say you had to be a pig!"

"I told you the truth, it's not my fault you're hot. I'm a dude I can't help it," Puck replied.

Caitlin moved away from the dresser and sat down next to him on the bed. "Do you want me to call you Noah or Puck," she asked.

"When we're hooking up," Puck joked.

Caitlin rolled her eyes and snorted. "Whenever."

"Call me whatever you want babe, I don't really care," he replied.

"So you'll answer to horny pig," Caitlin asked in mock seriousness.

Puck nodded and turned to face her. "Probably," he said lowly. "If it comes from your lips I'll answer."

"Good to know," Caitlin said with a quiver in her voice.

Puck played with a stand of her damp hair for a moment. "I've got a better idea for what our lips can do though," he said gruffly.

"Noah," Caitlin said turning toward him. Puck cut her off with a kiss though . His hand fisted in her hair as he nipped at her lips begging for entrance. Her lips parted allowing him to deepen the kiss. With his other arm he pulled her closer. Caitlin twisted toward him, her leg draped across his. Puck's hand slid down her body to her knee. He gently pulled until she shifted and was straddling him.

Caitlin wrapped on arm around his neck, the other clung to his arm to keep her balanced. Puck broke the kiss and trailed his lips down her neck. She whimpered as he nipped at her soft skin. Moving quickly, probably too quickly, Puck slipped a hand up her shirt and cupped her breast. Caitlin's answering gasp encouraged him to continue. She pushed herself against his warm hand without thinking. Puck caught her lips in another scorching kiss.

Puck pulled back and tugged her shirt up over her head. He dropped it on the floor, then pulled her back with him onto the bed. He rolled over so he was on top. Puck paused for a moment to study her. He'd never seen anyone look so hot in just his shorts before. He kissed her again as he slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her lower body snugly against his. Caitlin gasped when she felt him pressing against her.

"Noah," she said breathlessly as he kissed her neck again. She moaned softly as he playfully bit her neck. Her nails dug into his shoulder blades as her mind began to catch up with her body. He obviously thought she had more experience than she did. "Noah, stop."

Puck pulled back slightly staring at her in confusion. "What?"

"I can't do this," she said quickly. She sat up searching the floor for her shirt. She licked her lips nervously ignoring the look Puck was giving her. She guilty thought of the boy that was waiting for her to figure things out so they could end their 'break'.

"Why not," Puck asked.

Caitlin found the shirt and pulled it over her head. She stood up moving away from the bed quickly. "I just can't, I should go."

"Cait, slow down," Puck said as he sat up and stared at her. "What's going on? You don't have to do anything you don't want to, you know that. I thought you were into it, I wouldn't have done it if I thought you were going to freak out."

"I'm not freaking out," she snapped. She ran a hand through her hair and met his gaze. "I just…. Puck I'm not like you ok?"

"What does that mean?"

"I haven't hooked up with tons of people, I'm not with a different person every week," Caitlin babbled not thinking about what she was saying. "That's not who I am. I've been dating the same guy for the past year, we've never gone past… 2nd base."

Puck stared at her angrily. "You should go," he said lowly.

Caitlin picked up her purse and opened his bedroom door. "I'm sorry," she said softly before rushing down the stairs and out the front door. Caitlin realized seconds later that it was raining, but she didn't care. Her mind was clouded with thoughts of all the boys in her life, eventually she would have to choose.

Puck watched her walk through the rain from his bedroom window. He shouldn't have kicked her out like that. Noah never would have done that, he was starting to feel like he had two completely separate personalities and it was making him crazy. Puck stood up to go after her when he noticed a truck slowing down and coming to a stop next to Caitlin.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Hey," a voice called causing Caitlin to jump nervously. She turned and met the clear blue eyes of the blond boy driving a truck.

"Hi," she said carefully.

"You're Caitlin right? You go to McKinley," he asked.

"Yeah, you go there too," she asked ignoring the fact that she was barefoot, holding her clothes in her hands, and it was starting to rain harder.

"Yeah I do, do you need a ride or something? I'm not some creeper who picks up girls walking down the street, but it's raining and you look like you could use a ride," he replied.

"A ride would be good, you don't mind?"

"Nah, get in. I'm Sam by the way."

Caitlin opened the door and glanced back at Puck's house briefly before climbing in and shutting the door back. "So how did you know who I am?"

"Finn told me that you had joined glee, I'm in glee too but I've been out because of a cold. I went in to get my assignments this morning and I saw you leaving Ms. Pillsbury's office."

"Yeah," Caitlin said vaguely. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah," Sam said shooting her a funny look. "So what are you doing wandering down the street barefoot in the rain?"

"It's a long story," Caitlin said quickly.

"Which way," Sam asked choosing not to make her share the story.

"I live on Sycamore, it's not far from here."

"I live on Sycamore too, I guess that's where all the new kids are," Sam said with a smile.

"I guess so," Caitlin replied lamely.

"So what brought you to Lima," Sam asked curiously.

"My dad moved us here after… after he got a promotion," Caitlin finally said. She didn't want to tell him about the accident. Her phone rang in her purse causing her to jump in surprise. She quickly dug it out of the bag and checked the caller id. She sighed softly and hit the ignore button.

"You could have answered it, I don't mind," Sam said as she put the phone away.

"It was my uh… my… I'll call him back later," Caitlin said quickly. They turned onto their road and Caitlin pointed to her house. Sam pulled up in the driveway and waited for her to climb out. "Thanks for the ride Sam."

"No problem, you want a ride to school tomorrow?"

"Yeah, that would be cool. What time?"

"7:45? We have Glee at 8."

"Sounds good to me, I'll see you later."

"Later Caitlin," Sam called before pulling away.

Caitlin stared up at the new house hopelessly trying to figure out if she should go inside. She knew her dad was feeling everything she was, but at the same time she didn't want to be around him right now. She moved toward the front door as her phone rang again. She quickly unlocked the door and glanced around before answering her phone. "Hello," she said softly.

"Hey Caitlin, it's me," the best friend of her and her 'boyfriend' said quickly. He had actually introduced her to Wes. Of course he hadn't anticipated what was going to happen or that she was going to unceremoniously declare a break from Wes.

"Duh I have caller id Blaine. What's up?"

"Well… you know that I hate getting in the middle of things," Blaine trailed off.

"Did Wes ask you to call me," Caitlin asked.

"Yeah, he's worried about you."

"I'm fine," Caitlin said quickly.

"Yeah ok," Blaine replied obviously not believing her.

"Look it's been a weird day, I ran into that guy I was telling you about then I met another guy from the glee club so things have just been very strange."

"You joined the glee club? I thought you weren't going to do it after everything Vocal Adrenaline put you through."

"The counselor told me if I joined I'd have to see her less," Caitlin explained as she entered her room.

"Did you have to audition?"

"Of course," Caitlin replied. "They're small not desperate."

"What did you sing," Blaine asked.

"Runaway with me."

"Good choice, they let you in of course," Blaine replied.

"Yeah, the director already gave me a solo which I think is a bit ridiculous, but it is what it is. What are you guys working on?"

"We are getting ready for sectionals, but I can't tell you what we are doing because now you sing for the competition."

"That's right, McKinley and Dalton are in the same sub-region. I didn't think we'd be competing until Regionals or Nationals. I don't know how they set it up this year," Caitlin said. She sat down on her bed and glanced around the room.

"What are you doing right now," Blaine asked.

"Hiding in my room," Caitlin said truthfully.

"Why don't you meet me after rehearsal and we'll go get a cup of coffee?"

"Just you and me or is Wes going to come? I know he doesn't get it right now, but I just need a little space."

"You and me, you know you could come over here early. We're doing a show in the senior common room this afternoon."

"What are you singing," Caitlin asked.

"Teenage dream," Blaine replied.

"So you stole my song huh?"

"I didn't steal anything, it was Wes' idea."

Caitlin's phone beeped in her hand causing her to check the caller id. "Look I'll come watch you perform, but Wes doesn't need to start with me today ok?"

"All right I'll talk to him, see you later."

Caitlin clicked over to her other line quickly. "Hello?"

"Caitlin, its Rachel I wanted to let you know about the assignment in glee," the brunette said quickly.

"Oh, cool what are we doing," Caitlin said sounding more excited than she felt.

"You know we are doing boys vs. girls, but Mr. Schuester has decided that the girls have to do a song sung by a guy group and vice versa," Rachel explained.

"That sounds cool, what are we doing?"

"We're thinking rock music for sure, but we're going to talk more about it tomorrow ok?"

"I'll be there, I wasn't feeling well today. Thanks for the heads up Rachel."

"No problem, I'll see you tomorrow."

* * *

Caitlin leaned against the hood of her car and stared up at Dalton. She really wished it wasn't an all boy school, because she would have loved to end up there instead of McKinley. She was already friends with all the Warblers, thanks to Blaine and Wes. She and Blaine had met through their voice teacher. She wanted them to sing a duet together and thought they would make a cute couple. Blaine had admitted pretty quickly that she wasn't his type and they became fast friends. She'd tried to be there for him when things got really bad at his old school, she'd even suggested Dalton to him.

In return, Blaine included her in everything with his new friends, which led to her dating Wes. She and Wes dated for a year before she decided they needed to take a break. He didn't know about Max, her dance partner at Carmel, and a large part of the reason she had decided they needed a break. Max knew about Wes, but had pursued her anyway. The night of the accident Max made a move and Caitlin didn't stop him. She put an end to it when she moved though, but his recent text messages said otherwise.

Caitlin shook her head and glanced back up at Dalton. She missed Wes, things with him had always been easy, but she felt like she didn't deserve to have him after the accident. She didn't deserve love or affection from anyone after the way she behaved, after what she had caused. Caitlin pushed away from her car and headed toward the main office for her visitor's pass.

"Hello Caitlin, we haven't seen you lately. How are you," Mrs. Fletcher the secretary asked.

"I'm good, I'm a guest of Blaine Anderson's today," Caitlin explained. "He invited me to come see the Warblers perform. Are they shutting down the school again?"

"You know your boys," Mrs. Fletcher said causing Caitlin to blush at the mention of 'her boys'. "They are always up to something. Enjoy yourself."

Caitlin stuck the visitor pass onto her brown jacket and headed toward the senior common room. She used the short cut Blaine had taught her following the sound of receding footsteps toward the common room. She arrived at the room just in time for the performance and caught Blaine's eye as he started to sing. She smiled and waved her hand at him before glancing at Wes. Their eyes locked for a moment, his eyes told her everything she needed to know, he was hurt by what was going on but his smile stayed plastered on his face. She glanced away and looked at Blaine again, he was staring at someone in front of the group but Caitlin couldn't tell who it was from behind. The back of his head looked strangely familiar though.

The Warblers wrapped up their performance to cheers and applause. Blaine waved his hands at everyone to get them to be quiet. "A friend of mine is here and maybe if you are all really supportive Caitlin will come and sing something with us," Blaine said pointing her out.

The rest of the Warblers noticed her immediately, some glanced at Wes protectively but the majority of them waved her forward to join them.

"I'll have to decline, I just joined their biggest competition for sectionals," she announced to the room.

"Then this is your last chance to sing with us before we beat you," Wes called. He met her gaze and nodded slightly, letting her know it was ok.

"Fine," Caitlin said as she was pushed through the crowd. She dropped her bag on a nearby sofa and joined the Warblers. Blaine signaled that they needed a moment before they huddled up. "What are we singing?"

"How about 'All you need is love'," Blaine suggested.

"That's subtle Blaine," Wes muttered.

"What about Airplanes," Caitlin suggested. "We all know it."

"With or without the second verse," another Warbler named David asked.

"Without," several people said quickly.

"You guys don't like to hear me rap," Blaine asked indignantly.

"It's not your strong suit honey," Caitlin replied. "Oh, what about 'Take me home tonight'?"

"Let's do it," Wes said clapping his hands together. They broke out of their huddle and got back into their lines. Caitlin stood between Blaine and Wes looking down at the ground. It had been awhile since she had performed, two months to the day actually.

(W=warblers, B=Blaine, C= Caitlin, and the other 2 Wes and All pretty self explanatory)

W- _Take me home tonight_

_I don't want to let you go till you see the light_

_Take me home tonight _

_Listen honey just like Ronnie sang_

B- _I feel a hunger_

_It's a hunger, it tries to keep a man awake at night_

_I shouldn't wonder, when I feel you whet my appetite_

_Wes- With all the power you're releasing it isn't safe to walk the city streets alone_

_Anticipation running through me, let's find the key and turn this engine on_

W- _I can feel you breathe _

_I can feel your heartbeat faster_

_Take me home tonight_

_I don't want to let you go till you see the light_

_Take me home tonight_

_Listen honey just like Ronnie said_

Caitlin looked up finally and her gaze immediately met the one of the boy who had looked so familiar. Kurt Hummel was standing in the front row staring at her. She smiled slightly before launching into her part.

C- _Be my little baby ohhh_

_I get frightened in all this darkness_

_I get nightmares_

_I hate to sleep alone_

_I need some company_

_A guardian angel to keep me warm when the cold wind blows_

Kurt nodded at her impressed. Wes reached over and took her hand understanding how true those lyrics were for her.

Wes- _I can feel you breathe_

_I can feel your heartbeat faster_

W- _Take me home tonight_

_I don't want to let you do till you see the light_

_Take me home tonight_

_Listen honey just like Ronnie sang_

C- _Be my little baby, be my little baby_

_Yeah, a yeah, yeah, oh oh oh_

B- _Just like Ronnie said_

_I said just like Ronnie said_

C- _Be my little baby, baby my darling_

_Whoa-oh-oh-oh_

Wes- _I feel your hunger_

_It's a hunger_

All- _Take me home tonight_

_I don't want to let you go till you see the light_

_Take me home tonight_

_Listen honey just like Ronnie said_

C- _Be my little baby_

_Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh_

Wes- _Take me home_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"So, this guy is in your glee club," David asked as they stood outside the common room.

"Yeah, I have a feeling the other guys put him up to it though. Kurt doesn't seem like the type of guy to spy," Caitlin explained. "Of course they did spy on Vocal Adrenaline last year but I heard there was whole separate drama with that."

Wes and David exchanged glances before looking at Blaine and Kurt. "How about you invite him to coffee and we get to the bottom of this," Wes suggested.

"I think Blaine's taking care of it," Caitlin said with a smile. She'd never seen Blaine flirt outright with another guy through song before.

"Guys," Blaine said as he and Kurt joined them. "Why don't we go to the lounge?"

"Sure," David said before grabbing Blaine's arm and pulling him away. Wes followed them and glanced at Caitlin. She knew what that look meant, he wanted her to get some info.

"So…," Caitlin said as they trailed behind the Warblers. "What brings you to Dalton Kurt?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Kurt replied.

"I'm here because Blaine invited me, he and I have been friends since elementary school. We have the same voice teacher. When he transferred here, he introduced me to all the guys," Caitlin explained.

Kurt stared wistfully at the three Warblers before speaking. "The guys suggested that I come and check out the competition," Kurt finally said.

"It's more than that isn't it," Caitlin said as they arrived at the lounge. The Warblers got in line for coffee while she and Kurt found a table.

"I have to admit I'm curious," he said as the Warblers rejoined them. Blaine took the seat across from Kurt as Wes sat down next to her. Wes handed her a cup as Blaine slid a cup to Kurt.

"This is Wes and David," Blaine said gesturing at each guy respectively. "You already know Caitlin."

"It's very civilized of you to invite me for coffee before you beat me up for spying," Kurt said politely.

"We are not going to beat you up," Wes replied.

"You were such a terrible spy, we thought it was sort of endearing," David explained.

"Which made me think spying on us wasn't really the reason you came," Blaine said glancing briefly at Caitlin. She shook her head to let him know she didn't know anything.

"Can I ask you guys a question," Kurt asked carefully.

"It's almost impossible to offend them so ask away," Caitlin said with a smile. The boys all nodded politely.

"Are you guys all gay?"

The guys laughed in surprise before Blaine explained. "No, I mean I am, but these two have girlfriends," he said pointing from Wes to Caitlin.

"Really," Kurt said in surprise. "I thought you were single."

Caitlin blushed slightly and glanced briefly at Wes. "It's complicated," she said softly.

"This is not a gay school," David explained. "We just have a zero tolerance harassment policy."

"Everybody gets treated the same no matter what they are. It's pretty simple," Wes said.

The look on Kurt's face said it all, things were definitely not what they seemed at McKinley. Kurt put on a good face but it was obvious that he was having a hard time.

"Would you guys excuse us," Blaine asked.

"Take it easy Kurt," Wes said as he and David stood up.

Caitlin motioned for Wes to wait as she reached over and squeezed Kurt's hand. "Listen to him," she said nodding at Blaine. "He's not just a great voice and a pretty face. He's been there."

"You won't…," Kurt said quickly.

Caitlin waved a hand at him and smiled. "This little outing will be between you and me," she said before following Wes out into the hallway. "David already leave?"

"He wanted to give us some space," Wes said carefully. "How have you been?"

Caitlin ran a hand through her hair before meeting his gaze. "Today was hard, but I like McKinley. I'm glad I don't have to deal with Vocal Adrenaline drama anymore."

Wes nodded and looked down at the ground. "Are we going to talk about it or pretend like things aren't weird between us?"

"Things are weird Wes. I need some time, I just started a new school, I'm dealing with a lot right now and I know you want to be there for me, but I need some space. You didn't do anything wrong, I did."

"What do you mean you did? What did you do Caitlin," Wes asked.

Caitlin turned away from him slightly and sighed. She had to tell him what had happened, she couldn't let him continue thinking she was 'perfect'. She'd messed up their relationship and now she was hiding it from him. "You remember Max right," she asked.

"Your dance partner? Yeah, what about him?"

Caitlin sat down on a nearby chair and avoided Wes' gaze. "The night of the accident I was with him. He knew I had a boyfriend but he was still trying to get to me. I was pissed off because my mom and my brother didn't show up like they were supposed to, then you cancelled on me. Max was there and one thing led to another, we kissed, nothing more."

Wes clenched his fists and turned away from her. He glanced down the hall toward the lounge before turning back to her. "Does Blaine know?"

"It doesn't matter, I'm not causing drama between the two of you."

"So he knows," Wes snapped.

"No, he doesn't know! I wouldn't put him in that position, I wouldn't do that to our friend."

"Do you regret it?"

"Kissing him or telling you," Caitlin asked.

"Both."

"I regret kissing him, I knew it was a mistake and I left before things could go any further. I don't regret telling you, because this affects our relationship. I would be lying if I said I didn't miss you, but I don't know what I want right now Wes."

"I don't want to be on break anymore," Wes finally said.

"Wes I just told you that I don't know what I want!"

"I know what I want Caitlin and right now, I don't want anything from you. Break done, we are done."

"Wes," Caitlin cried as he stepped back from her. "I'm sorry, you know I am sorry."

"I know you are and I am too, but I want to be there for you and you won't let me. The truth is we've been having problems for a long time, neither of us was willing to be honest about it though. So I think the best thing for both of us is to just be done."

Caitlin stared at him shock. "Fine," she said softly. "If that is what you want then that is fine with me."

Wes nodded once before meeting her gaze. "I am sorry Cait," he said softly. "I'll see you around."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Caitlin sat silently next to Rachel preparing costumes for their performance later that day. She kept stopping to think about what had happened the day before with Wes. He had every right to be mad at her, she didn't blame him for that, but now that they were officially over she couldn't help but hurt over it. She figured that was why people called it a 'break' up.

She had other things to think about too though. Max, for instance, was still texting her wanting to know how she was and claiming that he needed to discuss something with her. She had a feeling that part of it was due to their new director, she had no doubt that Mr. Goolsby had heard about her getting into New Directions. He had probably put Max up to contacting her to see if he could get information about what McKinley was planning for Regionals. There was also Puck to think about. Being back in school with him after all this time, should have been good. He had always been there for her when they were younger, but things had changed, they had changed. She didn't know if he was still a guy she could count on and the rumors kept getting worse. After what happened yesterday though, Caitlin wouldn't have been surprised if he didn't want anything to do with her or if he tried to get back at her for what she had said.

"The boys beat us the last time we competed against them, we've got to bring the noise hard this time," Mercedes said breaking the silence in the choir room.

"To be fair they didn't officially beat us, we got busted for vitamin D possession before the vote," Quinn pointed out.

"Vitamin D possession? Really," Caitlin asked. "Members of Vocal Adrenaline are encouraged to take it, makes for perkier performers."

Rachel shot her a curious look but remained silent, which was incredibly unusual. "Wait, something is definitely wrong. Why isn't Rachel talking," Santana asked.

"She should totally be bossing us around," Brittany said softly.

"The idea of the assignment was to do the opposite of what we normally do, I'm just trying to stick to the lesson plan, which is proving nearly impossible since you're gluing those sequins on backwards," Rachel said quickly.

"Whoops," Caitlin said exchanging a look with Santana.

"Spies," Rachel shouted pointing at whoever was coming in the door. Caitlin jumped at her yell and glanced up nervously. Puck was pushing Artie into the room with a huge smirk on his face.

"Lighten up, we're here to talk to Santana and Brittany," Puck said. He whispered something to Artie before turning his attention to the cheerleaders.

Caitlin's eyebrows knit together as she watched the scene play out before her. Puck was a total jerk to the girls yet they were basically falling all over themselves to go out with him and Artie. Before leaving the room Puck glanced back briefly and met Caitlin's shocked gaze. She figured since she had called him out for being a player he was going to prove her right after all.

"Don't even think about it," Quinn said gently. "Trust me I've been there, so have Rachel and Mercedes. The only one who can keep up with him is Santana, because she's the female version of him."

"That's so sweet," Santana replied with a smirk. "It's true though hon, don't even think about putting your paws on my man."

"Wow, really? Cause he never mentioned you while we were making out in his room yesterday," Caitlin snapped. She leveled the cheerleader with an angry gaze and leaned forward. "News flash honey, idiot pig isn't my type so you can have him."

With that Caitlin stood up and walked out of the room. She paused for a second and turned back. "Which of you has he not dated?"

Tina raised her hand and smiled sheepishly. Brittany looked at her blankly for a moment. "Is it considered dating if all you ever do is have sex," she asked.

"Never mind," Caitlin said before leaving the room. She slammed right into a hard chest and stumbled back several steps. "Sorry."

"No problem, you ok," Sam asked.

"Yeah, never better," she replied sarcastically.

"I'm sensing some sarcasm there."

"You would be correct, it's just some guy drama. I don't want to bore you with my problems," Caitlin said quickly.

"Ahh, well I can't say I have a lot of experience with that, but if you want to talk about it then let me know," Sam said easily.

Caitlin glanced past his shoulder and saw Puck watching them. "Actually can I ask you for a favor," Caitlin asked stepping a little closer to him.

"Uh, sure," Sam replied.

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Yeah Quinn and I are dating why?"

Caitlin pursed her lips and thought about her plan for a second. The last thing she wanted was to cause Sam drama. "Look, Puck is trying to make me jealous, so I was hoping that I could get back at him for it, but you have a girlfriend and the last thing I want to do is to cause you any drama."

Sam nodded and glanced down the hall at Puck. He leaned forward and whispered in Caitlin's ear. "How about a duet then? After this competition I'll ask Quinn if she minds and you and I will show everybody that the new kids can bring the noise."

Caitlin smiled and met his gaze. "Sounds like a plan."

The girls' performance went off without a hitch. Of course the last rehearsal had been pretty funny when Brittany dropped the microphone off the stand and onto Rachel's face. Rachel had said something about the show going on and proceeded to blow everyone away. She was now babbling about why they had chosen their songs and gushing to Finn.

Mr. Schuester left the room to go deal with the Cheerios coach, who Caitlin still had not met. Quinn caught Caitlin's eye and motioned for her to follow. Caitlin joined Quinn in the hallway and smiled at the blonde.

"So I understand you want to 'borrow' my boyfriend to make Puck jealous since he went out on a date with Santana last night… and Brittany it would seem."

"Yeah, look I don't want to cause drama between you and Sam so if you are uncomfortable about it then say the word," Caitlin said quickly.

"Actually I think it's a good idea, I think someone needs to teach Puck a lesson and I think he likes you enough to learn one from you. Look he's not as bad as he seems, and yes you are crazy to go up against Santana, but if you want him, then you should go get him. Don't hurt him just to hurt him though."

Caitlin nodded silently at her. "Any suggestions for songs?"

"You guys can figure it out," Quinn said with a shrug. "Nothing to romantic though. The last thing I want are rumors flying around about how you are stealing my boyfriend. I'll have to squash you."

"Understood," Caitlin said with an easy smile. Caitlin's phone vibrated in her pocket, she quickly pulled it out and read the screen. "I've got to take this, but thanks Quinn."

"No problem," Quinn replied before heading back into the choir room. Caitlin headed toward the dressing room where the girls had left their stuff and she pushed the answer button on her phone. "You're calling me because…," Caitlin asked angrily.

"I wanted to see how the new school is," Max replied. "And I heard about you and Wes."

"Look Wes and I breaking up has nothing to do with you," Caitlin replied. In reality it had a lot to do with that but Caitlin wasn't going to admit it to him. "Things happen, this doesn't mean anything as far as you are concerned."

"Ah, come on Caitlin," Max basically whined. "You know we have amazing chemistry why won't you give it a chance?"

"I'm not giving it a chance because you deliberately tried to break up a year long relationship, and then you have the guts to call me two days after that relationship ends and basically ask me out? You don't even know if I have feelings for you."

"Please Caitlin, we both know that you have feelings for me. You kissed me back," Max pointed out.

"The only reason I did that was because I was stupid and pissed off at Wes. It had very little to do with how I feel toward you Max," Caitlin snapped.

"You're in denial."

"And you are crazy if you think Wes and me breaking up changes anything! I never should have been with you that night! I should have gone home after the show like I was supposed to, now I'm sorry if I led you on I really am, but nothing is going to happen between us."

Caitlin's phone beeped cutting off whatever Max started to say. She glanced down at the screen to see a text from Kurt saying he needed to talk to her. She started to put the phone back up to her ear when she got another one from Blaine saying she needed to go find Kurt. "Max, I have to go, I'm sorry."

Caitlin left on her costume from glee and headed into the hallway. Neither text had told her where Kurt was. She tried Kurt but he wasn't picking up, she hung up and called Blaine instead.

"Hey is everything ok," Blaine asked quickly.

"I have no idea, where is he? What happened," Caitlin asked.

"It's not my story to tell Cait, I would check the auditorium though. He said it was his haven," Blaine explained.

"Ok, I'll call you back when I find out what's going on. Why don't you meet us after school for coffee? I need to talk to you about something anyway."

"Sounds good, let me know if he's ok please," Blaine asked.

"Of course, I'll text you. Thanks for the heads up," Caitlin said as she pulled open the doors to the auditorium. There was a lone figure sitting on the edge of stage staring hopelessly at the floor. "Found him, later Blaine."

"Bye Cait, tell him… well find out what is going on and tell him I'm sorry."

Caitlin clicked off and headed down the aisle toward Kurt. "This is quite the stage you guys have, I bet the ghosts have lots of stories to tell," Caitlin said as she approached him.

"The ghosts," Kurt asked as he looked up. He brushed some tears off his face and met her gaze.

"My voice teacher used to say that great theaters were haunted by the ghosts of the best performances they've ever seen. You always know you are in the company of greatness when you come in one," Caitlin explained. She sat down next to Kurt and stared out at the empty seats.

"Sing me something," Kurt asked.

Caitlin glanced at him and realized he needed a distraction from whatever was going on. "Fine, but you can't laugh at me and you have to come with me this afternoon for coffee with Blaine. I won't make you talk about what happened until then."

"Deal," Kurt said sticking his hand out.

Caitlin shook it and stood up. "What do you want to hear?"

"Um, something that works with your outfit please. I love leather leggings as much the next gay but I don't think I can listen to you sing a show tune in them," Kurt replied with a hint of a smile.

"Hmm, ok, no Broadway. I think I have an idea," Caitlin said. She headed over to the cd player and the one with the song she wanted. She hit play and headed to the center of the stage. She unzipped her jacket and bobbed her head to the music. "It doesn't really go with the outfit, but I think you'll like it."

_I stare at my reflection in the mirror_

_Why am I doing this to myself_

_Losing my mind on a tiny error_

_I nearly left the real me on the shelf_

_Don't lose who you are, in the blur of the stars_

_Seeing is deceiving, dreaming is believing_

_It's ok not to be ok_

_Sometimes it's hard to follow your heart_

_Tears don't mean you're losing, everybody's bruising_

_Just be true to who you are_

_Who you are who you are_

_Brushing my hair do I look perfect_

_I forgot what to do to fit the mold, yeah_

_The more I try the less its working_

_Cause everything inside me screams no, no, no_

_Don't lose who you are, in the blur of the stars_

_Seeing is deceiving, dreaming is believing_

_It's ok not to be ok_

_Sometimes it's hard to follow your heart_

_But tears don't mean you're losing, everybody's bruising_

_There's nothing wrong with who you are_

_Yes, No's, egos, fake shows_

_Like whoa, just go, and leave me alone_

_Real talk, real life, good love, good night_

_With a smile, that's mine_

_That's my own_

Caitlin paused for the instrumental break and pulled off her jacket. She looked out at Kurt and pointed to him as she continued

_Don't lose who you are, in the blur of the stars_

_Seeing is deceiving, dreaming is believing_

_It's ok not to be ok_

_Sometimes it's hard to follow your heart_

_Tears don't mean you're losing, everybody's bruising_

_Just be true to who you are_

Kurt applauded loudly and stood up. "Can I ask you a question?"

Caitlin picked up her jacket and headed toward the front of the stage. "Can you ask it while we walk to the dressing room? I've had enough of these leggings."

"Yeah," Kurt said easily as he followed Caitlin out of the auditorium. "From one diva to another I have to ask, why did you leave Vocal Adrenaline? I mean we're good and they are obsessive about practice, but they go to nationals every year. They are the best."

Caitlin pursed her lips and glanced away from Kurt. "My dad decided to move back here after the accident," She said truthfully.

"Accident?"

"My mom and brother were killed in a car crash two months ago, it was on the same night as our first showcase, and I was singing my first solo."

"I'm so sorry," Kurt said quickly.

"Not as sorry as I am," Caitlin replied. "Listen no one else knows, except Puck and Ms. Pillsbury. Can we keep this between us?"

"Of course Caitlin," Kurt said quickly. "Now on to a happier topic, tell me about Blaine."

**Song doesn't belong to me, it is Who you are by Jesse J**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Caitlin got to the coffee shop before Kurt did and found Blaine sitting at a table in the corner. She quickly crossed the room and hugged him. She dropped her purse on the floor and sat down across from him.

"You ok," Blaine asked carefully.

"Fine," Caitlin said glancing toward the door for Kurt.

"Don't Caitlin, Wes told me what happened."

"He shouldn't have done that."

"Were you going to tell me," Blaine asked.

Caitlin looked at Blaine and registered the hurt look on his face. "I'm sorry, you're right I should have told you, but after everything that has happened I just haven't processed yet. I understand why he did it, besides we both know that I don't deserve him."

"Caitlin that is a load of crap if I ever heard it," Blaine snapped. "You don't deserve him? Please, that is the stupidest thing you've ever said and you have said some stupid things."

"Blaine," Caitlin snapped. "Don't do this to me right now."

"You've got to get over this Caitlin, you weren't driving the car, you didn't make it rain, it's not…," Blaine started to say.

"DON'T," Caitlin said loudly. She lowered her voice when she realized people were watching them. "Don't say that it's not my fault, don't you dare say that to me."

The door opened and Kurt stepped inside glancing around for her and Blaine. Caitlin leaned away from Blaine and waved him over. "Don't say anything to him about this please," Caitlin pleaded softly.

Blaine nodded then turned to greet Kurt. Kurt got in line for a coffee and Blaine shot her another look. "Are you going to tell anyone at your new school what happened," Blaine asked.

"The counselor knows and so does that guy I was telling you about," Caitlin admitted.

"The one you and Charlie hung out with when you were little?"

"That's him, trust me he's not the same guy he was then."

"You aren't the same girl," Blaine pointed out as Kurt made his way toward them.

"Hi," Kurt said nervously as he sat down with them.

Caitlin glanced briefly at Blaine before turning her attention to Kurt. "Did you find it ok? I know this place is kind of out of the way for Lima," she said.

"Yeah, it's fine," Kurt said easily. "Thanks for this."

"No problem, we're here for you," Blaine said easily.

"Yeah we may not know one another that well yet, but trust me, we've got your back Kurt," Caitlin assured him. "Can I ask you a question though?"

"Of course," Kurt replied.

"Why didn't you talk to someone at McKinley about what is going on? I mean, can't you talk to Finn, Sam, or the other guys? Or Mr. Schue?"

"I thought if I confronted him, Karofsky, that maybe he would back off, I hoped that if he saw me fighting back then I wouldn't have to tell anyone about what happened and it would be over," Kurt explained. "Mr. Schuester would try and help me, but I think I should try to deal with it before going to someone else. I've already talked to him about the bullying, but you can't do a lot about someone pushing a student."

"What can we do Kurt," Blaine asked. "What do you need us to do?"

Kurt stared out the window next to their table as he considered Blaine's questions. Caitlin reached over and laid her hand on top of his. He met her gaze and smiled shakily. "If you could talk to him, he's confused and I think he needs to know that if he wants our help that we'll help him," Kurt finally said.

Caitlin raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You want to help this kid?"

Kurt nodded and met her gaze. "You don't think we should try and help him?"

"Yeah of course, I'm just surprised I guess. Most people want to get back at the people who are bullying them, but that would make you no better than him. I'm impressed Kurt, you're stronger than you look, which sounds terrible but is meant to be a compliment," Caitlin stated.

"Thank you," Kurt said before turning his attention to Blaine. "So… what now?"

"How about we talk to him tomorrow," Blaine suggested. "Together."

The next morning Caitlin stood at the end of her driveway waiting for Sam. He had picked her up every morning since he'd driven her home from Puck's. He never asked why she was standing outside of Puck's house. Sam pulled up and pushed the truck door open. Caitlin climbed in and smoothed her hair down again.

"You straightened your hair," Sam pointed out with a bright smile.

"Yeah, I wanted to try something different. So, what are we going to do for our duet," Caitlin asked.

"I have some ideas, but what are you thinking? What type of song do you want to do?"

"What if we did something by the Beatles," Caitlin suggested.

"The Beatles, I like it we could an interpretation like they did for Across the Universe," Sam exclaimed.

"Sounds like a plan. Now we just have to pick a song," Caitlin pointed out.

"We'll figure something out," Sam said as they pulled into the school parking lot. Sam parked his truck and they headed to glee practice. Ms. Pillsbury was waiting outside the door to the choir room though.

"Caitlin, can I speak with you for a moment," the counselor asked.

"Uh, sure, can you tell Schue I'll be late," Caitlin asked Sam.

"Sure, see you in there," Sam said before leaving them alone.

"You never showed up for your session yesterday, and you skipped the day before. According to certain sources you left here with Noah Puckerman, I wanted to make sure everything was ok," Ms. Pillsbury said carefully. "Also I wanted you to know that while you feel like you are losing control of things, choosing to force yourself to throw up after a meal isn't the way to gain control Caitlin."

"What? I'm not throwing up after meals! Where did you hear that," Caitlin demanded.

"Another student expressed this concern about you," Ms. Pillsbury replied.

"Would that students name happen to start with an S and end in ana," Caitlin asked.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that, but you are more than welcome to ask her about it, since it's not true. Now that we've settled that I would like for you to come see me after you eat lunch to make up for missing yesterday," Ms. Pillsbury informed her.

"Fine," Caitlin said before walking into the choir room. She entered the room in the middle of a debate about Coach Bêtise.

"Can I just say that this is what happens when people don't put out. If everyone just put out we would have a winning football team," Santana said.

Principal Figgins strolled into the room before anyone could reply to her. "William I need to see you and Noah Puckerman in my office please," the principal announced.

The club waited until Mr. Schue and Puck had left to speak again. "Santana, this has nothing to do with whether people are putting out as you so crassly said," Rachel snapped.

Caitlin quickly crossed the room and stepped up onto the riser. She stared at Santana for a moment before speaking. "So when you decided to tell Ms. Pillsbury that I was bulimic was it because you were projecting your issues onto me or are you just crazy," Caitlin asked calmly.

"I'd go with crazy if I were you," Mercedes mumbled.

"Look ginger, you have been warned, stay away from my man," Santana replied with a shake of her head. "Besides going to Pillsbury was the best idea ever. I found out exactly why you moved here. Is there a reason you haven't shared that with the rest of us," Santana said with a smirk.

"Bitch," Caitlin snapped. "You're seriously going to hold that over my head?"

"I play to win ginger," Santana replied.

"Prepare to lose," Caitlin said lowly. She stepped down off the risers and crossed to stand in front of the piano. "You want to know why I came here, fine, I'll tell you. It's not because my dad got a promotion, or because I got kicked out of Vocal Adrenaline, my mom and older brother were killed in a car wreck two months ago and my dad decided to move me back here since this is where the rest of our family lives. Happy now Santana?"

"Why didn't you tell us," Quinn asked.

"She shouldn't have to tell us anything unless she wants to," Sam pointed out. "That was really shitty of you Santana. How would you feel if someone did that to you?"

"She doesn't experience human emotion obviously," Kurt said as he rose from his seat and went to hug Caitlin. "I know what it's like, my mom died when I was younger and I promise you, after a while it hurts less, but you never stop missing her."

"You've always got us though," Tina said as she and Mike joined in the hug.

"Seriously, if you need anything," Finn said as he too joined them. Without a word, Mercedes, Rachel, Sam, Quinn, and Brittney joined the hug. Santana gaped at them from her seat.

"Did she forget to mention that she thinks it's her fault? The little skank was hooking up with her dance partner instead of meeting them," Santana said loudly before leaving the room.

Without thinking Caitlin pulled away from the group and threw herself at Santana. Caitlin landed a solid punch to Santana's cheek before someone managed to pull them apart.

"Let go of me," Caitlin screeched as she flailed at Santana. "I'm going to kick her ass, how did you find out about that?"

"I have my ways honey, Puck knows all about your boyfriend at the gay school Dalton and your dance partner from Carmel," Santana snapped. "Let's see you get him now!"

"You were so concerned with losing Puck that you've been spying on me? You can have him if you want him so badly," Caitlin shouted back. Finn ushered Santana out of the choir room and shut the door. Quinn and Brittney went out the other side to get her side of the story. Tina, Mike and Mercedes left as well to give Caitlin a moment.

Sam, Kurt, and Rachel stood behind her waiting for her to say something. "I'm sorry," Caitlin finally said. "I know I told you Kurt, but I should have told everyone about what was going on. I'm literally a walking soap opera right now, I don't usually come with this much drama I swear."

"Ah come on, Santana has had it coming. If you hadn't hit her it was only a matter of time before someone else did," Sam pointed out.

"You can keep secrets all you want," Rachel said. "Part of being friends means that you trust us with your secrets though. We would never judge you for any of that."

"I didn't want to be the girl with the dead mom and brother, that's all. I would have told you guys eventually, but I didn't want it to come out like this," Caitlin replied.

"Hey," Kurt said as he stepped over and put a hand on her shoulder. "Remember what we said yesterday? Together, you've got my back and I've got yours."

Caitlin turned and hugged Kurt. "Thanks Kurt," she whispered. She met Sam's gaze and smiled. "If you don't mind I have an idea for our duet, something for my mom and Charlie."

The bell sounded signaling the end of the class period. Caitlin grabbed her books and headed toward the spot she had agreed to meet Kurt and Blaine at. As she walked down the hallway a voice called out from behind her, "Caitlin!"

She turned to find Mr. Schuester coming toward her. She stopped and waited for him to reach her. "I heard about what happened this morning after I left the choir room, while I understand that you were upset about what Santana did as your teacher I have to say that fights of a physical nature are not permitted here at McKinley, as your choir director I have to say that I am sorry about her actions and for your loss."

"Thanks Mr. Schue, I appreciate it and I promise it won't happen again," Caitlin assured him.

"Also, Sam mentioned that the two of you were working on a duet, when do you think that will be ready?"

"Tomorrow, maybe?"

"How about the two of you perform after the boys performance tomorrow," Mr. Schuester asked.

"Sure, sounds good. I'll let Sam know," Caitlin said. "I've got to meet Kurt for lunch, but I'll see you this afternoon Mr. Schue."

"See you later Caitlin," he said.

Caitlin darted through the halls and found Kurt and Blaine on the stairs already talking to Karofsky.

"You should just know that you are not alone," Blaine said as Karofsky came down the stairs toward her.

"Do not mess with me," Karofsky snarled as he pushed Blaine against the fencing surrounding the stairwell.

"You have to stop this," Kurt said angrily and he pushed Karofsky back. Caitlin rushed up the stairs and stepped between the two groups. She held her hand up to Karofsky and attempted to stare him down. He glanced briefly at each of them before he finally turned and walked away.

"Well, he's not coming out anytime soon," Blaine said quickly.

"You think Blaine," Caitlin replied sarcastically. She turned and watched Kurt sit down on the stairs.

"What's going on? Why are you so upset," Blaine asked as he joined Kurt on the stairs. Caitlin leaned against the railing to look at him.

"Because up until yesterday I had never been kissed, or at least one that counted," Kurt explained sniffling slightly.

"Come on," Blaine ordered, "I'll buy you lunch. You coming Cait?"

"No, I've got to meet with the counselor, then talk to Sam about our duet, you guys have fun though," she said as they headed down the stairs. She caught the look that Kurt gave Blaine before they reached the bottom. "Behave you two, I'll see you both later."

As Caitlin made her way back inside to meet Ms. Pillsbury Artie rolled up beside her. "You got a second," he asked. "It's about Puck."

Caitlin paused for a moment and met his gaze. She knew it was serious to Artie and she still cared about Puck, even if they were both trying to make the other jealous. "How about you… uh… roll with me over to Ms. Pillsbury's office and you can tell me on the way there?"

Artie nodded and rolled along beside her. "Puck is trying to turn his life around, juvy wasn't exactly what he made it out to be, and he doesn't want to go back. He needs to hang out with people who are a good influence on him and I think you and I could help him," Artie explained.

"What do you want me to do Artie," Caitlin asked.

"I know Puck's not good with being just friends with people, but maybe you could try and be his friend. I know he was trying to make you jealous with Santana, but he likes you, so maybe you could go easy on him, cut him a break, and let him know that you're there for him, he wants to be there for you," Artie replied.

"I'll see what I can do," Caitlin said as they arrived at Ms. Pillsbury's office. "You're a good guy Artie, Puck's lucky to have someone like you looking out for him."

"He helped me get my lady back," Artie said with a shrug. "I owe him, catch you later."

"Later," Caitlin called as Artie rolled away. Caitlin glanced inside Ms. Pillsbury's office and saw she was not alone. She knocked before pushing the door open.

"Caitlin, I'm so sorry I completely forgot about this session. This is Carl, he's a dentist," Ms. Pillsbury explained as she gestured to the man beside her.

"Nice to meet you," Caitlin said carefully. "Should I just come in early tomorrow?"

"If you don't mind, I'm really sorry about this."

"No problem, more time to practice for glee," Caitlin said before stepping out of the room. She headed toward the choir room hoping to find Sam somewhere along the way.

"Caitlin," Sam called as she walked past the open door to the weight room.

"Hey Sam," Caitlin said as she wandered into the room. "Wow, this is quite a setup. How much do you bench?"

"I'm not supposed to do more than 175 since I messed up my shoulder," Sam explained. "So what did you have in mind for our duet?"

"It's a country song called Address in the Stars. Have you heard it," she asked.

"Yeah, good choice," Sam said. "I play guitar, you want me to do it for our performance?"

"That would be great. Schuester wants us to do it tomorrow after you guys perform your mashup. What are you doing?"

"I can't tell you," Sam said seriously. "If I told you then I would have to kill you, Kurt has sworn us all to secrecy, but it's going to give you girls a run for your money."

"Good," Caitlin said firmly. "I'll let you finish your workout, you want to practice after school at my house?"

"Sure," Sam said with a quick nod.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's note: Sorry this took so long, but its a very long chapter with lots of drama for you! There are also two songs, Falling Slowly and Address in the Stars, both songs are sung by Sam and Caitlin which is indicated by a S and a C.**

Chapter 9

The next morning Caitlin sat silently in the choir room listening to Sam figure out chords on his guitar. She had picked the song they were going to sing, Sam just had to figure out how to play it. "Do you think we should do a practice number just to get ready," Sam asked.

Caitlin looked up and met his gaze. She shrugged her shoulders at him, but nodded anyway. "What do you want to sing?"

Sam picked a couple of chords before launching into the song

_S- I don't know you, but I want you all the more for that_

_Words fall through me, and always fool me and I can't react_

_And games that never amount to more than they're meant, will play themselves out_

S & C- _Take this sinking boat and point it home, we've still got time_

_Raise your hopeful voice, you have a choice you've made it now_

C- _Falling slowly, eyes that know me and I can't go back_

_Moods that take me and erase me and I'm painted black_

S- _Well you have suffered enough and warred with yourself, it's time that you won_

S & C- _Take this sinking boat and point it home, we've still got time_

_Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice, you've made it now_

_Take this sinking boat and point it home, we've still got time_

_Raise your hopeful voice you have the choice, you've made it now_

_Falling slowly, sing your melody, I'll sing along_

They stared at one another for a moment, unaware that someone was watching them from outside the door. Sam leaned in first stopping a breath away from Caitlin, he understood the risk he was taking and he wanted her to be willing to take it with him. He wanted her to close the gap herself if she wanted to. Caitlin leaned that extra little inch, her lips meeting Sam's in a hesitant kiss. One of her hands clutched Sam's, the other rested on his knee. The guitar created a convenient barrier between them. They broke apart staring at one another curiously. What did this mean?

A cough from the doorway caught their attention. Artie sat there staring at them in surprise. "Hi," he said sheepishly.

"Hey man," Sam replied nervously. He put more space between himself and Caitlin as he watched Artie enter the room.

"What're you guys doing," Artie asked.

"Um… working on our song," Caitlin said carefully.

Artie shot her a look and shook his head. "Not what I meant, I thought you were dating Quinn," Artie asked pointing at Sam. "And aren't you dating some guy at that school Kurt checked out for us?"

Sam and Caitlin exchanged guilty looks before both looking at the floor. "Look it's none of my business," Artie said. "I won't tell anyone else about it, but it's not fair to these other people if you have feelings for one another. Quinn doesn't want to date a guy she can't trust, believe me." Artie nodded seriously at them both, then rolled out of the room.

Caitlin sat there silently staring at the ground. She'd done it again, she'd let herself get caught up in the moment. She was going to ruin something good for Sam, because she couldn't say no. A boy was nice to her and she fell for him without thinking about the consequences.

"Caitlin," Sam said softly.

Her gaze snapped up from the floor but she didn't look at him. She picked her bag up off the floor and quickly crossed to the door. "I'll see you later Sam," she called as she rushed out into the hallway. She quickly made her way down the hallway bumping into people at random. She stumbled back as a figure slammed into her at full force.

Someone caught her from behind to keep her from falling. She looked up to see Puck behind her. "Watch where you're going Karofsky," Puck snapped staring at his fellow football player.

"Sorry I bumped into one of your whores," Karofsky replied before walking away.

Caitlin was shocked at his words and silently watched as he stepped around them to continue on his way. "Hey," she shouted as she pulled away from Puck and turned to follow Karofsky. "I'm talking to you!"

"What," Karofsky roared back as he turned to face her.

Caitlin stepped up to him and jabbed her finger into his chest. "Don't call me a whore, you don't know me, you have no right to judge me. Does it make you feel better to drive other people down? Picking on people like me and Kurt makes you feel better about your sad little life? Grow up and leave us both alone," Caitlin said angrily.

With that Caitlin spun on her heel and walked around the corner, Puck trailing silently behind her. "What can I do for you Noah," she asked carefully.

"What was that about with Karofsky?"

Caitlin opened her locker and quickly pulled out some of her books. She stuffed them into her bag before meeting his gaze. "He's been giving Kurt a hard time, my friend Blaine from Dalton talked to him, but I don't think it's going to help."

"I'll take care of it," Puck said confidently as he turned to go after Karofsky.

"No Puck," Caitlin said quickly as she grabbed his arm to stop him. "You can't, if you get caught fighting they'll send you back to juvy."

Puck leaned against the locker next to Caitlin's and pondered his options. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know," Caitlin said honestly. "Hopefully, he'll back off."

"How are you doing," Puck asked holding her in his steady gaze.

"I'm fine," Caitlin said with a shrug.

"How are you really doing? I heard you and Wes officially broke up."

"How did you even know about Wes?"

"You're the new girl at McKinley, we know everything about your relationships."

"Santana told you about him," Caitlin pointed out. "She's been spying on me."

Puck shrugged and chuckled slightly. "That's Santana, she goes a bit overboard, but seriously how are you doing?"

"Look, Max won't leave me alone, Wes knows about Max so he dumped me, Blaine's pissed at me because of the mess I made with Wes, I'm causing drama for everyone, even you. How do you think I'm doing?"

"I think you'll fit right in here at McKinley. Look drama is part of high school, you've just got to learn which drama is worth participating in. If you want Wes back, go for it, if you want to be with Max do it, if you want to be alone do that, the only person you need to worry about is yourself Caitlin," Puck explained.

Caitlin stared at him for a minute. She never thought he would say something like that to her. "What about you and me?"

"Technically there is no you and me, there is you, and there is me," Puck pointed out.

"What does that mean," Caitlin asked.

"It means that if you pick me, I'll make it worth your while, but I'm not going to make you do something you don't want to or force you to make a decision."

"Thanks Noah," Caitlin said with a slight smile.

"No problem, but you should probably avoid Karofsky for the rest of the day unless you want to get slushied," Puck ordered before walking away.

Caitlin headed in the opposite direction. She rounded a corner and spotted Kurt sitting on the floor in front of his locker. She quickly made her way down the hall to him. Without a word she sat on the floor next to him and leaned her head against his shoulder.

"How's your day been," Kurt asked.

"Sam kissed me," Caitlin explained softly. "You?"

"Karofsky isn't backing off," Kurt replied.

"What are we going to do Kurt?"

"What Blaine said, courage," Kurt said with a smile. He looked surer than he felt but it was enough to reassure Caitlin. He pushed himself off the floor and helped Caitlin up as the warning bell rang. "I'll see you at Glee."

"Later Kurt," Caitlin said before heading to English.

...

Caitlin left her final class for the day and headed to her locker. She was so preoccupied with seeing Sam for the first time since the kiss that morning that she wasn't paying attention to what was going on around her. It wasn't until the bright blue slushie hit her right in the face that she actually noticed Karofsky in the hallway. Caitlin spat a mouthful of slushie back at him as she threw her books on the ground.

"What the hell is your problem," she shouted angrily. "What did I do to you?"

"You don't know your place in this school new chick, but now you do," Karofsky leaned close to her, leering as he spoke. "I'd watch out if I were you."

"Or what Karofsky? You're going to start treating me like Kurt? Bring it on asshole, you are just an ignorant jock who thinks the whole damn world should revolve around him! We know who we are and that scares you, because you have no idea who you are you homophobic creep!"

Karofsky stared at her for a moment, surprised that she talked back to him. "You've been warned," he said lowly before walking away. Caitlin quickly picked up her books and headed to her locker. She tossed some things in it and marched toward the choir room. She didn't have clothes to change into so she'd have to go to glee covered in slushie.

The guys had already started their performance so she waited outside the door until they finished. She leaned against the wall next to the door as she waited. Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she slowly pulled it out. She checked the caller id before answering.

"Hey Blaine," she said tiredly.

"How are you Caitlin," Blaine said formally.

"I'm covered in blue slushie, just got in a shouting match with Karofsky, I got kissed this morning, and dumped yesterday, other than that I'm great. What can I do for you," she asked.

Blaine paused for a moment before speaking. "Why are you covered in blue slushie?"

"It's the thing at McKinley, members of the glee club get slushied on a regular basis."

"That's awful," Blaine said in shock. "Administration doesn't do anything about it?"

"There's not a zero tolerance policy here, there's nothing they can do."

"I'm really sorry. Who kissed you?"

"I don't really want to talk about it right now," Caitlin said slowly. "It's not that I don't want to talk to you, I just don't know how I feel about it yet."

"Understandable. So the reason I was calling, some of the guys want to try a new song, but have decided it needs a female voice and I was hoping you could help us out," Blaine explained.

"Yeah, I'd be happy to, what's the song?"

"That is top secret information, they wouldn't even tell me, until you said you would do it. I'll text you when I know though. Shouldn't you be in rehearsal right now?"

"Yeah, the guys were performing but it sounds like they are through now. I'll talk to you later Blaine," Caitlin said before quickly hanging up her phone. She pushed open the door but froze when she heard the gasps. "What?"

"Are you aware that you are dripping blue slushie on the floor," Kurt asked calmly.

Caitlin looked down remembering what happened. "Yeah, I uh, spilled my slushie. It was really messy, as you can tell," Caitlin said quickly avoiding Kurt's gaze.

"Is that really what happened," Mr. Schuester asked.

"Yeah, of course," Caitlin quickly replied.

"I've got some extra clothes in my locker if you want to borrow them," Rachel offered.

"That would be awesome if we were the same size, but I have a feeling your clothes would be to small since we're different heights, no offense."

"I've got an extra dress," Quinn offered. "You can't do your performance with Sam covered in slushie."

Caitlin exchanged a glance with Sam before looking at Quinn again. "True, let's go."

...

Caitlin slipped into Quinn's dress and stepped out of the bathroom stall. She'd already wiped the rest of the slushie off her face and out of her hair. She nervously smoothed down her skirt and glanced up at Quinn. "You should keep that dress," Quinn said with a smile. "It looks better on you than it does on me."

"I find that hard to believe," Caitlin said as she glanced up and looked in the mirror for the first time. She shrugged slightly and rubbed a hand down her arm. "Thanks Quinn I really appreciate this."

"No problem," Quinn said with a shrug. "We've all gotten slushied and it sucks."

The girls returned to the choir room Cailtin taking the spot next to Sam in front of the group. "All right, Sam and Caitlin have prepared a piece for us, so everyone give them the floor please."

"Thanks Mr. Schuester, um as you guys know my mom and brother died in a car accident two months ago and this song is for them," Caitlin explained.

_C- I stumbled across your picture today_

_I could barely breathe_

_The moment stopped me cold_

_Grabbed me like a theif_

_I dialed your number but you wouldn't be there_

_I knew the whole time but its still not fair_

_I just wanted to hear your voice_

_I just needed to hear your voice_

_S & C- What do I do with all I need to say_

_So much I want to tell you everyday_

_Oh it breaks my heart_

_I cry these tears in the dark_

_I write these letters to you but there's no address in the stars_

_S- Now I'm driving through the pitch black dark_

_I'm screamin at the sky cause oh it hurts so bad_

_Everybody tells me_

_Oh all I need is time_

_Then mornin rolls in and it hits me again and that ain't nothin but a lie_

_S & C- What do I do with I need to say_

_So much I want to tell you everyday_

_Oh it breaks my heart_

_I cry these tears in the dark_

_I write these letters to you but there's no address in the stars_

_C- Without you here with me_

_I don't know what to do_

_I'd give anything just to talk to you_

_Oh it breaks my heart_

_Oh it breaks my heart_

_S & C- All I can do is write these letters to you_

_But there's no address in the stars_

Caitlin bit down on her lip as the song ended, she reached up and wiped away the tears that were sliding down her face. Without warning Sam pulled her into his arms and hugged her hard. "You ok," Sam whispered.

Caitlin heard sniffling behind her and twisted around to see who else was crying. Santana was standing behind them with tears running down her face. Caitlin's eyes widened in surprise as she took in the cheerleader. She stepped away from Sam and met Santana's watery gaze.

"I'm sorry," Santana said through her tears. "I... I didn't know..."

"It's ok," Caitlin whispered before hugging Santana.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Caitlin avoided Glee club that morning in favor of visiting Ms. Pillsbury. She'd been avoiding everyone in glee since she sang with Sam. She'd wanted to avoid them since their kiss, but she still had to perform with him. As she slipped into Ms. Pillsbury's office she heaved a sigh and dropped her bag next to her chair.

"How are you doing today Caitlin," Ms. Pillsbury asked.

"Sam Evans kissed me," Caitlin blurted out. Once she started she found she couldn't stop explaining things. "Sam kissed me, but he's dating Quinn, who is really nice and I don't want to hurt her, but I think I might have feelings for Sam. I just got out of a relationship though, which wasn't going well if I'm honest because I felt so guilty about kissing Max, my dance partner from Carmel. I kissed Puck too, well he kissed me first, but I think he did it because he didn't know what else to do and he thought that would help. It didn't help though, and now I have Max calling me all the time trying to get me to come back to Carmel, I have Sam following me around trying to get me to talk to him, I have Artie watching me like a hawk because he saw Sam kiss me, well I kissed him back, and I have Puck trying to be my friend. I don't know what to do!"

Ms. Pillsbury blinked at her several times, trying to understand Caitlin's story. "Let me get this straight, which thing in that list happened first?"

"I kissed Max, then went on a break with my now ex, then boyfriend, Wes," Caitlin explained. "Then I moved here."

"At which point you and Noah Puckerman had romantic relations," Pillsbury asked.

"Yeah, but I felt guilty because I was technically still with Wes, so I told Wes what had happened with Max, I don't remember whether I told him about Puck though."

"And so Wes broke up with you, and shortly after that Sam kissed you."

"That would be correct," Caitlin said before heaving a sigh. "My life is a mess."

"You are in high school its supposed to be messy, not this messy, but messy. I think you need to take some time and evaulate how you feel. Take their feelings out of the equation and decide how Caitlin feels about each of these young men," Pillsbury suggested. "When you decide that you can decide what you want to do."

"How do I decide that," Caitlin asked.

"That's up to you, write it down in a journal, put it into a song," Ms. Pillsbury said excitedly. "Singing about it might help you! Try to find one song that best describes your relationship with each of the young men! You're in Glee it should be easy for you!"

"I'll try," Caitlin said skeptically.

"Speaking of Glee, shouldn't you be there now," Ms. Pillsbury asked.

"Yeah, I'm kind of avoiding it due to recent drama."

"Go this afternoon," Ms. Pillsbury ordered.

...

Caitlin arrived a few minutes late to Glee, she went around the long way to avoid running into Karofsky. She stepped into the room to see that there was a blond woman there instead of Mr. Schuester. Puck grabbed her arm and steered her around him.

"Buttered floor," He whispered before pushing her toward the seats.

"I'm not your average run of the mill subsitute teacher," the blond explained. "I want you guys to do things that you want to do. I want you to have fun in our fabulous but fleeting time together. What do you say we have class outside today?"

"It's raining outside," Mercedes pointed out.

"Well then let's take a field trip to Taco Bell," she suggested. Everyone let out cheers of excitement. "Should we toke up some medical grade marijuna? I wish."

"Ok, no, we can't just good off all day we have to write a setlist for sectionals," Rachel said in frustration.

"She's right, Vocal Adrenaline has been working on their's since June," Caitlin pointed out.

"Spy," Santana whispered loudly.

"Whatever," Caitlin snapped back with venom in her voice.

"She's right," the blond said. "What songs would you like to do? Don't get asked that question much do we?"

"Ms. Holiday's right, Mr. Schuester's setlists seem like he hasn't listened to the radio in 30 years," Kurt complained as he joined them in their seats.

"He never listens to what I have to say," Puck whined. "I suggested Cee Lo and he shut me down."

"Cee Lo, that's what I'm talking about," Ms. Holiday exclaimed.

"What would you know about Cee Lo, cause you're like 40," Santana said smugly.

"Top 40 sweetcheeks," Ms. Holiday informed her. "Hit it."

Caitlin remained in her seat as her classmates joined in the number. She thought about Ms. Pillsbury's assignment and wondered if this song applied to any of the guys in her life. It seemed to be more about her actions, than any of the guys, she was the one that had cheated after all. She glanced at Sam and noticed that he was watching her as well. She quickly looked away her gaze landing on Rachel.

The brunette shifted in her seat and met Caitlin's gaze. "This is a problem," Rachel said firmly.

"Let's go get some tacos," Ms. Holiday announced. As everyone filed out of the room after her Caitlin looked at Rachel again.

"This is a big problem," Caitlin said seriously.

"I have a plan," Rachel said before racing out of the room.

...

A few days later the 'nightmare' as Rachel had termed it was still not over. Her plan to go to Schuester wasn't working, because he was still sick. Caitlin rounded the corner and saw that Rachel was speaking with Ms. Holiday at her locker.

"You're a total drag, has anyone ever told you that? You too Red," Ms. Holiday said when she saw Caitlin had joined them.

"I have, well to her anyway," Puck said pointing at Rachel.

"Oh Puckerman here are the answers to the pop quiz I'll be giving in spanish class later, it is so boring in there," Ms. Holiday said as she passed him some papers.

Caitlin's face scrunched in confusion as she watched the scene unfold. "Thanks Ms. H," Puck said before giving her a high five. "Later Cait."

"You know what, maybe I should be more like you, all fun and just forget about the conseqences," Rachel snapped.

"Yes, you should, at least sometimes, when is the last time you did something just because you thought it would be a blast," Holly asked. "Take glee club, I mean you have all these great ideas when is the last time you actually did one of them?"

"Mr. Schu can be a little tight fisted with song selection, but I would like to do something a little bit more upbeat and glamorous with a good dance beat," Rachel explained finally caving into the sub.

"Sounds reasonable to me, have you asked?"

"He said no," Caitlin informed the sub.

"Rachel I used to be just like you, I'll get to your problem in a minute Red, trying to get everything so right and hanging on so tight," Ms. Holiday explained.

"What happened," Caitlin and Rachel asked.

"I got punched in the face, anyway why don't you let me know the name of this upbeat glamorous song with a nice dance beat, because hot stuff you are doing it in glee club," Ms. Holiday said with a smile.

"I kind of need a partner to do the song I wanted," Rachel said sneaking a glance at Caitlin.

"I thought you'd never ask," Ms. Holiday said quickly. "It's kind of my catch phrase. Now let me deal with this one, please?"

Rachel nodded excitedly and darted down the hall to find Finn. Caitlin turned away from Ms. Holiday and began walking down the hall. "I don't need any help, thanks," Caitlin called over her shoulder.

"Honey, trust me I know man drama when I see it, and you have man drama. I think you should sing about it," Ms. Holiday suggested.

Caitlin froze in her tracks and stared at the sub. "That's what Ms. Pillsbury said too," Caitlin admitted. "I did come up with a song, about one guy in my life."

"Well you can perform that after Rachel does her song."

...

Caitlin sat silently next to Tina watching Rachel and Ms. Holiday perform Nowadays from Chicago. Rachel had certainly warmed up to the substitute quickly. Feeling eyes on her, Caitlin glanced over her shoulder. She met Sam's gaze for a moment before quickly looking away. She bit her lip and looked down at the floor. She was supposed to perform after Rachel, but she still hadn't talked to Sam about the kiss, or Max about that kiss, or Wes about their breakup.

Caitlin ran a hand through her hair, and just barely kept herself from letting out a sigh of frustration. She didn't want people to think she wasn't enjoying Rachel's performance. She rose with everyone else and cheered as though nothing was wrong.

Ms. Holiday waved them all down and pointed at Caitlin. "So I gave Red an assignment, she has to sing about the drama she is currently experiencing in her life," Ms. Holiday said with a grin. "What was his name?"

"Which one," Santana said as Caitlin rose from her seat.

Caitlin didn't respond to the question, she simply walked onto the stage and took a deep breath. "He knows who he is," she said simply.

_Say you're sorry_

_That face of an angel comes out just when you need it to_

_As I pace back and forth all this time_

_cause I honestly believed in you_

_holding on, the days drag on_

_Stupid girl, I should have known_

_I should have known_

_I'm not a princess, this ain't a fairytale_

_I'm not the one you'll sweep off her feet _

_and lead her up the stairwell_

_This ain't hollywood this is a small town_

_I was a dreamer before and you let me down_

_now its to late for you and your white horse to to come around_

Caitlin looked up at that moment and caught Sam's gaze. The look on his face told her all she needed to know. She pushed the microphone away from her and took a step back. She shook her head several times, refusing to cry yet again.

"I can't, I'm sorry," Caitlin said before darting off the stage. She raced down the steps at the side of the stage and rushed through the theatre. She left her bag sitting next to her seat as she threw the door open. She barely made it out the door before someone caught up with her. They grabbed her arm and she jerked away from whoever it was as a sob broke loose. "Don't touch me!"

Caitlin turned, terrified to see that it was Puck, and just behind him was Quinn. "We wanted to make sure you were ok," Quinn said hesitantly.

"Well, I'm not," Caitlin cried. She turned away from them both, but Puck grabbed her shoulder and turned her back.

"Talk to me," Puck ordered.

"I can't!"

"Why not? You can always talk to me," Puck shouted back at her.

"I can't talk about it," Caitlin said shooting a glance at Quinn.

"You mean you can't talk about it in front of me," Quinn replied.

Caitlin didn't reply, she pulled away from Puck and shook her head. She turned and walked down the hallway, her shoulders tightening as she went. She wouldn't do this, she wouldn't hurt these people too.


End file.
